Finding Jobs vs. Finding a Job
Earlier this year Dale Dauten’s “Corporate Curmudgeon” column noted that “We have entered the Post-Employee Economy. There still will be organizations, and there still will be work to be done, but it’s time to understand that the concept of ‘employee,’ as we know it, is obsolete.”
He recently revisited this topic, and noted that the U.S. economy continues to progress toward his Post-Employee paradigm. Companies aren’t hiring, they’re downsizing. And they’re wringing as much work as they can out of their remaining staff.
Dauten added, “As companies reach their maximum output with their current employees, they’ll be slow to add new workers. Instead, they’ll outsource the mindless work and they’ll bring in consultants for the mindful work.”
And that’s where we fit in. I’ve spoken with quite a few freelancers who, sotto voce, have told me that they’re quite busy. The reason they’re being so sotto voce is that the current business meme is How Awful Everything Is, and you don’t dare speak against that. At least not publicly.
What these freelancers are reporting has been true in other economic downturns. Amidst all the plant closings, layoffs, reductions in hours, and furloughs, there is still work that needs to be done.
A good chunk of this work is project work, which means that organizations don’t need to keep your smiling face on the payroll once the gig is over. And, face it. If you’re a freelancer, you probably don’t want to be on one company’s payroll for the next five years or however long it takes to get vested in the pension plan. You want more adventure in your professional life.
So, what does it take to thrive in this brave new world? I recommend the following:
- A system for landing new business quickly. It might include cold calls, warm calls, working the networking mixers, using social media, advertising, or something else.
- A system for staying in touch with people you’ve worked with before. It might include an e-mail newsletter, a blog, a Twitter account, postcard mailings, or something else. The goal is to ensure that you stay on client radar screens when they have additional work that you could do.
- A first-class set of skills. This is an economy that favors those who are good at what they do.
- An ongoing effort to improve your skills – and add new ones. Know how to learn new things quickly. This may mean reading books, studying websites, taking short courses, watching video tutorials, or something else.
- The ability to filter out all the bad news and just get to work on finding jobs, doing them, and repeating this process. Wasn’t too long ago that I heard an architect friend note that, despite the fact that there’s a Bad Economy out there, he has his own economy. And that economy’s keeping him pretty busy.
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Thanks for this sobering look at the current employment situation and your helpful suggestions. This sentence sums it all real well: “They’ll outsource the mindless work and they’ll bring in consultants for the mindful work.”
Seems to become true also here in Italy. Kinda with delay but I think in a couple of months if nothing disastrous happens.
Great tips!
I would put #5 in #1, because right now, when I’m launching my freelance enterprise, this is my most valuable asset.
Your wording is perfect: it’s not about blocking, but filtering. Some criticisms and news help you perfect your practice; others are just negative influences.
Best! Clau
Hi
Perhaps companies will realize that this is the way to work even after the economic crunch…
Juliet
I like the hope this message brings!
Martha:
That’s a good and really helpful article.
I usually advice people to focus on their skills and make sure that it is razor sharp!
The challenge that a lot of people run into is that their work cannot be defined in terms of skills. They do various things within an organizations that they cannot do for other organizatons.
So, when they are laid-off or they lose their jobs they have nothing in the way of skills that they could possibly freelance with.
So, the most important thing is to get the skills equation right!
Everyone should be absolutely sure that they have an amazing set of skills that can be traded in the job market for consulting or temporary or freelance or full-time gigs.
The portability of one’s skills from one work environment to another is one of the primary reasons why some people survive outside the nine to five and other people can’t
So, if you work in a corporate setting and you design websites or maintain your company blogs, you should ensure that your skills are razor sharp or they won;t be any good out there.
One should also determine that one’s skills are marketable in the current environmnent.
This post is VERY true. I left my full-time job two months ago and have been been extremely busy ever since. I love it. No recession here
Good article.
#5 is a soft hit with a big impact. The ability to filter out bad data is paramount. As humans, no disrespect to you robots out there, we seem to thrive on the negativity around us. And for us freelancers, working in our own bubbles, this is even made worse in the fact that we dont generally have anyone to feed this negativity thru at the water cooler. We easily become our own worse enemy, in the sense that we bottle up and perserve, rather than communicating with other like minded humanoids.
Its good to remember that we need to shake off the ‘blues’ and try to look at the positive sides of life and communicate beyond our bubbles, even if you are only talking to that blow up doll beside the water cooler in the kitchen…no disrespect to water coolers out there…
I’ve found #4 immensely helpful, even on topics that you don’t focus on will help you understand your own practice. Plus, you will have lots to say about any questions clients bring up and make yourself seem (and be!) even more valuable.
I’m not sure that using the term “brave new world” on a blog for internet professionals is a great choice; I’m not sure that’s a comparison we’d like to invite!
But seriously, this is a solid post. Great work!
I certainly agree that now is a good time for freelancers. Treat it as a business and set a few hours aside every day to find new clients. If we can keep new projects coming in and stay busy then we’re off to the races. Market ourselves and keep good relations with clients to keep them coming back.
I think your perspective on the job market and the economy are pretty accurate. It supports the idea that being a freelancer in this type of evolving economy may be a good thing. Developing a process of finding jobs, completing jobs, and maintaining relationships with clients is something I am beginning to see as a great way to stay busy in a down economy.
I think your perspective on the job market and the economy are pretty accurate. It supports the idea that being a freelancer in this type of evolving economy may be a good thing. Developing a process of finding jobs, completing jobs, and maintaining relationships with clients is something I’m beginning to see as a great way to stay busy in a down economy.
You’re assessment has been my experience too. In this current economy, freelancers and virtual assistants are thriving. Many companies are finding that good, quality work can be done by outsourcing and with outsourcing the overall cost is less when you factor in the cost of having employees on staff.
Love Amber’s quote: “No recession here.” That’s a great thing to be able to say in these times, and it’s also a great thing to strive for as a freelancer. Just because the recession is hitting most of the country doesn’t mean it has to hit absolutely everyone if you’re careful or have are a successful freelancer.
Definitely no recession in my neck of the woods either when it comes to freelance work. I’ve been busier now than ever and it’s been challenging to keep up. On the flip-side I do work in a corporate setting as well full-time and we’re seeing things turn around in the retail world a bit which is great for many creatives since it’s such a huge area for us. I think #4 is extremely important if you’re looking to find a job or “jobs” as you say. Always keep researching and striving for more. Learn learn learn and always raise that bar
Martha here. Thanks for all of the wonderful feedback!
To, everyone who’s reporting that they’re busy-busy, the following question is for you. Here’s the background to my question:
There’s a high rate of unemployment in the U.S., and there’s much talk about how to get people working again. To this end, the (U.S.) White House is asking Americans to organize community jobs forums. Here’s their blog post on this topic:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/24/host-a-community-discussion-and-be-part-president-s-forum-jobs
In light of the feedback to the above article, I don’t think that the solution lies entirely in creating employment for people. So, why don’t we hold a community jobs forum on Freelance Switch?
We, and I don’t want to limit this discussion to Americans only, could speak to our job-free experience as freelancers.
Great Information! I really believe on what you said about, “This is an economy that favors those who are good at what they do.” If you are good at what you are doing there is no need to panic. People will need your services.